Multiple contact electrodes are used in various applications and particularly in the medical domain, for example, in functional and stereotactic neurosurgery. These electrodes are, for example, implanted on a patient near or directly in the zones which are to be monitored, stimulated and/or treated, such as the brain, the spinal cord, etc. They are, for example, used in the treatment of certain diseases such as epilepsy, anorexia, Parkinson's disease, but also in the treatment of certain cancers. They are present in the form of fine needles or flat screens which have several electrical contacts in the form of peripheral rings or pads. They are coupled with recording and/or stimulation and/or treatment apparatuses by multiconductor cables and multiple contact connectors which can be plugged in according to a plane roughly perpendicular to the cables. Each connector is formed by a male plug and a female socket. The male plug is connected to an electrode by a multiconductor cable and has the same number of pins as the number of electrical contacts, these pins being parallel to one another. Each female socket is part of an adaptor or extension cord formed by a multiconductor cable, and has, on the side of the male plug, the same number of tubes as the number of electrical contacts, these tubes being parallel to one another, and on the side of the apparatus, the same number of DIN plugs as the number of tubes.
These traditional connectors, such as those described in the publications EP-A-1 147 783 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,222,471, have an approximately cubical shape whose transverse dimension depends on the number of contacts of the electrode. Moreover, one needs the same number of connectors as the number of electrodes implanted. The angular shape and the large space requirement of these connectors are particularly problematic for the patient since they are arranged in his nearby environment. They consequently generate a non-negligible weight which exerts traction on the multiconductor cables and on the electrodes, and hinder the movements of the patient. Moreover, during his movements, the patient may accidentally unplug the connectors, threatening his treatment and/or his monitoring. Furthermore, in order to implant electrodes precisely, guide cannulas are used, which must be extracted from the electrode by the rear end of the multiconductor cable. The presence of the rectangular male plug constitutes an obstacle and does not allow the use of these cannulas.